Archives for April 2016

People in Seattle understand it. People in Northern England, Scandinavia, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany understand it. People in Northern Minnesota and Minneapolis understand it too.
After about three days of a persistent low pressure system - when the sidewalks never dry, it remains dark and grey all day long, and rain comes and goes like a persistent cough - we sauna lovers especially appreciate our backyard retreats.
And thanks to super reliable weather forecasting, we are able to schedule our sauna sessions to overlap the worst weather of the day, and celebrate the monotony of "crappy weather." We take a long walk without an umbrella, soggy shoes and socks, then nude up and enter the hot room with an extra satisfied "ahhhhhh" with how good the dry heat feels. After a hot round, we step outside and cold wet rain drizzles over our bodies as if God himself is anointing us. How great it feels to be alive and to recognize that "crappy weather" is the best damn weather we … [Read more...]

Blowing through bustling traffic in the windy city we find a calm oasis
I had the pleasure to meet up with sauna enthusiast, Saunatimes reader, and Chicago area resident Officer Kevin O'Connell. Kevin graciously introduced me to the major sweatlodges in Chicagoland. Weather we call them saunas, spas, sweatlodges, or bathhouses, the common element is that these facilities all strive to provide an authentic experience: superb hot rooms that send you out the door hours later feeling refreshed, restored, and rejuvenated. To an outsider visiting in the midst of a big mean city - the third largest in the country - we are able to discover three oasis that wave flag of exceptional health and wellness.
I also had the pleasure to meet with owners and managers of each facility and will be reporting more on each for future articles here. For now, as we meandered our way through the old parts of Chicago, Kevin filled me in on the history of Chicago bathhouses. It was rush hour, so we … [Read more...]

How do you report on a story complimenting your work?
Yesterday, I met with Hannu Saintula, Board Member for The Finnish Sauna Society. Hannu had contacted me a few weeks previous:
We didn't have time for sauna, about which we were equally sad. I understand how when planning from afar, it all looks so easy. So, we met rink side. Hannu was able to focus on his purpose: U18 Finnish hockey. As the team practiced behind us, Hannu began presenting me with a seemingly never ending series of gifts from Finland.
I was overwhelmed by the Finnish Sauna Society's warm hearted generosity. Almost speechless. The gifts ranged from Finnish chocolate bars, sauna books, postcards, soap, sauna elf stones, and the pinnacle of thoughtfulness: an Arto water scoop manufactured by Pinetta-Tuote Oy.
Hannu and I quickly connected. We talked about sauna, of course. We shared a bit about how we sauna, and we were both so pleasantly warmed to know of many similarities to our sauna … [Read more...]

In this beautifully produced video from Prana Lens, we are treated to the Spirit of Superior Surf. Included therein is
Singularity and the Fibonocci Principle, where we find parallelism within sauna building through Divine Proportion.
"The worse the weather, the better the wave." And in our case, The worse the weather, the better the sauna."
Mental fortitude of Lake Superior surfing. Agreed, When you surrender, you win.
Find me a Lake Superior surfer who isn't into sauna, and I'll find you a tech entrepreneur who has never used the term disruption.
Bonus: Stoney Point, Lake Superior: excellent Wim Hof training ground.
Superior Surf from Ali Rogers (PranaLens.com) on Vimeo. … [Read more...]

They say there are two types of people in the world, those that say there are two types of people in the world and those that don't.
As it relates to mobilizing sauna culture in North America, there are also two types of people in the world, those that don't give a shit and those that get off the couch and make things happen. And a recent census study reports the former at 99% and the ladder less than 1%.
But someone built the first craft brewery in America. Someone started the first yoga studio in America. And someone created the first drinking glass made out of ice between sauna rounds.
JP ships. JP gives a shit.
JP doesn't have dollars in his eyes, but a deep integrity towards advancing and sharing the health and wellness benefits of sauna: the physical benefits, as well as the societal benefits. The physical benefits to sauna have been detailed in multiple places, including here. Societally speaking, in JP's interview with Max Musicant, founder Musicant … [Read more...]

Guest post series continues. Welcome Matt, who has followed Saunatimes lead with a follow up post to this one here from Christofer's visit to Larsmont Cottages, Two Harbors, MN. Enter Matt:
My wife and I chose the Larsmont due to their location, on the North shore of Lake Superior, but especially because of Larsmont Cottage's wood fired sauna. We celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary (July) a little early due to the busy summer in front of us. In need of some time to relax and recharge, this was just the place!
We utilized many of Larsmont's amenities during our visit. Friday was room-service from the Ledge Rock Grille, the Tia Flat bread was a surprise hit! Saturday night's Chef Dinner with wine pairing was a big treat. Sunday we worked the trifecta of relaxation. A couples massage in the morning followed by a nap. Mid-day we swam and enjoyed the hot tub. Completing the trifecta we immersed ourselves into a 2 hour sauna round. The night ended perfectly.
Our … [Read more...]

With sauna becoming more popular, more and more folks are being invited over to backyard saunas and mobile sauna gatherings all over town. Just yesterday, a couple millennials were spotted at a Minneapolis intersection, hunched over their Uber apps, used towels draped over their shoulders, radiating the unmistakable post sauna glow and bright smiles.
What a warm sight!
Yes, the sauna cat is finally out of the bag, and before you start packing a travel bag to attend your next sauna party, consider streamlining with:
Nix the water bottle. Drink 32 oz of water before you go out the door. Getting in front of hydration is critical for a good sauna session. Drinking a shit load of water before you go to a sauna party ensures that you'll have enough water in your system. Critical for avoiding dehydration, drinking 32 oz of water before sauna will jump start your sweat and toxin release on the bench. As bonus, you don't have to worry about forgetting your water bottle when it's … [Read more...]

Time to build your own sauna?

I wrote my "build your own sauna" book for you.
I'm not a professional builder.
But I've built a bunch of authentic saunas.
And I know how to build saunas.
And I love helping others realize their own AUTHENTIC sauna dreams.
For a $20.00 USD donation, I will send you my ebook.
I took careful note of many of the details, shortcuts, and special tricks about building a sauna. … READ MORE